1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image information searching with good operability and, more particular, to a method of searching and displaying target image information taking into consideration the response time delay associated with the image information search. The present invention also relates to an image information searching apparatus for searching and displaying target image information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an image information searching apparatus for reading image information such as documents produced in a large amount by a scanner, storing the read image information in an optical disk, searching the stored image information, and outputting target image information to an output unit, e.g., a CRT display unit or a recording unit has become commercially available.
In such a searching apparatus, continuous search such as page turn-over search for sequentially displaying all pages of each of a plurality of documents or document's first page turn-over search for sequentially displaying only the first page of each of a plurality of documents is performed at high speed. When target image information is displayed during this high-speed continuous search, a user instructs the apparatus to stop the search by a key input. In response to this stop instruction, the continuous search is stopped. In this case, when the user finds the target image information and inputs the continuous search stop instruction, image information several pages or documents after the target image information is already displayed.
In high-speed continuous search, therefore, after an operator inputs a search stop instruction, he or she must perform processing to restore to the display the target image information several pages or documents before a currently displayed page. This is the result of the poor operability of the search apparatus.